The field of this invention relates to recreational equipment and more particularly to a motor operated recreational van to which is to be connected a towable trailer which includes an internal combustion engine operating electrical generator which is to be used to operate electrical equipment within the vehicle during operation of the vehicle.
Recreational vehicles are in extremely common use at the present time. A typical recreational vehicle has an interior which is furnished in the form of living quarters. The living quarters are normally sufficient to perform normal daily functions, such as, cooking meals, dining and sleeping.
Included within a typical recreational vehicle, there will be located various types of electrically operated appliances. Typical appliances would be, a refrigerator, stove and an air conditioner. These appliances are normally driven either by batteries or an outside power source. However, the operator normally has to be cautious in the operating of the electrical equipment in order to avoid running down of the batteries which will necessitate recharging of the batteries. Therefore, on an extended trip, the operator may find it necessary to, for example, only operate a particular appliance a limited amount of time or else there will be no battery power left to operate the totally necessary electrical appliances.
It has been known that one could obtain an internal combustion engine electrical generator and use that generator to operate the electrical equipment located within the vehicle and also to use that generator to recharge the batteries that are used to operate that equipment. However, such an electrical generator is quite substantial in size. Therefore, to include that generator within the recreational vehicle will cause a significant amount of loss of space within the recreational vehicle. This loss of space takes away from the available living space within the recreational vehicle. Also, such a generator is quite heavy so to include such within the recreational vehicle substantially adds to the overall weight of the recreational vehicle. Therefore, in the past it has just not been feasible to include an electrical generator in conjunction with a recreational vehicle.